In Scotland and the north of England, as well as in Wales, a great variety of breeds is used for tending sheep, depending greatly on the locality in which they are employed, and on the kind of sheep adopted in it. The Welsh sheep is so wild that he requires a faster dog than even the Highlander of Scotland, while in the lowlands of the latter country a heavier, tamer, and slower sheep is generally introduced. Hence it follows that a different dog is required to adapt itself to these varying circumstances, and it is no wonder that the strains are as numerous as they are. In Wales there is certainly, as far as I know, no special breed of sheepdog, and the same may be said of the north of England, where, however, the colley (often improperly called Scotch), more or less pure, is employed by nearly half the shepherds of that district, the remainder resembling the type known by that name in many respects, but not all. For instance, some show a total absence of "ruff" or "frill;" others have an open coat of a pied black and white colour, with a setter shaped body; while others, again, resemble the ordinary drover's dog in all respects.

But, without doubt, the modern " true and accepted" colley has been in existence for at least thirty years, as proved by the engraving published in Youatt's book on "The Dog" nearly thirty years ago, which, by permission of his publisher, was accepted by me as the proper type in 1859, in my first treatise on the varieties of the canine race. This portrait was, I believe, copied from a specimen in the gardens of the Zoological Society, who for some years after its formation possessed a most interesting collection of dogs, now unfortunately abandoned. Up to the time of the last Brighton show I had never seen a single living example of this type in perfection, but on the appearance there of the celebrated Vero in the show ring, I at once picked him out as not only the best in the class, but the best I had ever seen, embodying nearly all the points exhibited in Youatt's engraving, which severally I had previously met with scattered throughout various prizewinners, such as the Nottingham Cockie, the Birmingham Laddie, Mr. Lacey's Mec, and Mr. Shirley's Shamrock, Trefoil, and Tricolour, and since that time Mr. Shirley has again given him a first prize at the Islington Show of the Kennel Club. No doubt in point of beauty some of the above dogs would compare favourably with him, and notably Shamrock, but, taking every point into consideration, I consider Nero to exhibit the true type of the breed in all respects to an extent bordering on perfection, and as such I offer his portrait to the readers of the Field. Hogg, the Ettrick Shepherd, describes his colley, Sirrah, as possessing a somewhat surly and unsocial temper, disdaining all flattery, and refusing to be caressed; "but," he says, "his attention to my commands and interests will never again be equalled by any of the canine race." Such is the colley of the present day of the type I describe, and the colour attributed to Sirrah by Hogg was " almost black, with a grim face striped with dark brown;" and here, allowing for the language of a shepherd belonging to a class whose notions are likely to be indefinite in their idea of colour, the true colley colour is described with as much accuracy as can be expected.

The black was a bad black, and the tan rather brown, not the rich tan of the Gordon type.

With this general description of the colley, I now proceed to analyse his points, the numerical estimate of which I allot as follows.

Points Of The Colley, Rough As Well As Smooth

Grand Total 100.

1. The Head (Value 10)

1. The head (value 10), which resembles that of the fox, should be wide between the ears, tapering towards the eyes, which are in consequence set rather close together. The top of the head is flat, and there is little or no occipital protuberance, and a very slightly raised brow; but the facial line is not absolutely straight. The volume of brain is considerable, and the skull looks smaller than it really is, in consequence of the amount of frill in which the occiput is embedded.

2. The Muzzle (Value 5)

2. The muzzle (value 5) is very tapering and lean, teeth strong and even, and the muscles of the jaw well developed. The whole face is covered with very short hair.

3. The Ear A And Eyes (Value 5)

The ears are small and pricked, but turn over at the top outwards and slightly forwards, with very short hair clothing them. The eyes are set rather close together, and somewhat obliquely, giving a foxy look to the dog characteristic of the colley in common with the Spitz or Pomeranian dog, which resembles him in many other particulars. They are of medium size, and generally of a brown colour.

4. The Shoulders (Value 7 1/2)

4. The shoulders (value 7 1/2) must be oblique and muscular, as the dog has to carry himself without falling over all sorts of ground, and often to stop himself when going down hill at full speed.

5. The Chest (Value 7 1/2)

5. The chest (value 7 1/2) is moderately wide, but should have the necessary volume in depth rather than width, on account of the activity required, which a very wide chest interferes with, giving a rolling heavy action unfitted for sheep tending.

6. The Loin (Value 10)

6. The loin (value 10) is strong and very slightly arched, but not more than elegance requires. The back ribs are often shallow, and, if too much so, the defect should be properly estimated.

7. The Legs (Value 10)

7. The legs (value 10) are all-important, both behind and before; they must be straight in front and well bent behind, all being of necessity muscular. The arms should be of full size both in bone and flesh, elbows quite straight and well let down, and the hocks powerful, clean, and low. On the hind legs there is often a double dew claw hanging only by the skin; but many excellent strains are without one, owing probably to their having been removed for many generations.

8. The Feet (Value 10)

8. The feet (value 10) are long rather than round, but the toes are well arched, and the pads very tough and horny. A large flat foot is an abomination.

9. The Coat (Value 15)

9. The coat (value 15) is, as before remarked, the peculiar feature in this breed; though I am sorry to say that, in my opinion, sufficient stress is not laid on this point by most of our judges. In the rough colley it should be shaggy and very thick, so as to create some difficulty in seeing the skin when the hair is separated by the hands with that view, the undergrowth being of a woolly nature, which adds to this difficulty. This undercoat is almost always lighter in colour than the upper, and even in those parts which appear black outside it has a yellowish or brownish tinge. Bound the neck, and especially on its under side, the outer coat is greatly lengthened, constituting what is called a "ruff" or "frill," which is found in no other English dog, but is well marked in the Pomeranian. In the smooth colley the coat is short, hard, and very close.

10. The Colour (Value 10)

10. The colour (value 10) most commonly met with is black and tan. In best breeds the black is seldom brilliant, showing the lighter colour of the undercoat through more or less, and often itself tinged with tan. The face, spots over the eyes, breast, belly, and legs below the elbow and hocks are tan, which should be of a reddish fawn rather than deep red tinge. The under side of the tail is also tinged with this colour. In the smooth colley the black is generally deeper and richer, but the tan should be of the same tinge and extent. A mottled strain, one of which I have selected as the type of the smooth colley, is highly valued in the North of England and also in Wales. A good deal of white is met with in some strains, and sometimes the tan is altogether absent, but, cceteris paribus, a black and tan colour without much white is highly preferred. In both varieties the whole body is sometimes tan, or tan mixed with white.

11. The Tail (Value 5)

11. The tail (value 5) is bushy, and always has a decided curl in it. As described by Burns:

His gaucie tail wi' upward curl, Hung ower his hardies wi' a swurl, being carried gaily, though not over the back, as in the Spitz.

12. In Symmetry (Value 5)

12. In symmetry (value 5) the colley is fully up to the average dog, or perhaps above it, and artistically he is much admired.

Both Vero and Fan are without any reliable pedigree.